Hard-Rock song

[stevie_vp]

Hi guys!
Just finished this song for my own band.
How do you like the mix?
Guitars where a koch powertone II with an sm and a spb1.
Bass was D.I. mixed in with ampeg svx sti
thanx!

[Ecktronic]

Nice mix.
The vocals don't sit very well in the mix.
I'd use more compression and also volume automation if need be.
The vocals are out of tune quite frequently so I'd retrack the vocals and then smooth out any off notes using auto tune or some plug like that.
The backing vocals seem to clash a bit. It could be the fact they are out of tune a bit or could be the EQ you used, or both even.

Not bad man,
Eck

[PistolP]

you want me to reply the American way or the constructive way? i'll give you both:P

1) cool track, I like the guitars. nice work..

2) the mix (bass quitar) is a bit muddy, drums could have some more energy (along with the bass). most of things could use some more compression. vocal performance is killing the track - if the singer is not much of a great singer then there are always other ways to keep the vocals sounding catchy.
also, always give a song something unique, that will make it stand out from the others.

peace
pistol

[Ecktronic]

I did a quick master of your mix to get it closer to how I would like to hear it.

Hope you like. :)
I did end up using a multi-band compressor which I don't advise using, but I felt I needed to use it to get the vocals to sit in the mix better.

Eck

[sneezebomb]

i gotta agree with the previous posters - the lead vocalist is singing flat for like half the song. it sounds like the backing vocals are probably on but it's the lead that's making them sound bad.

It's good to be able to hear the lead clearly. i like that. But the lead is very upfront, very dry, off key, and he could really stand to sing with a little more heart. Of all those things, i would focus on the last if you're going to re-record. An all-out-do-it-like-your-life-is-at-stake performance will cover a multitude of sins. A little more gut would probably help him hit some of those notes correctly too. Also (personal taste) the sound of the lead vocals could shine a bit more. It sounds a bit dark.

Ok. That seems real harsh. Notice how i didn't talk about the rest of the mix? That's because there's nothing to say. There's really only one thing to pick on.

Nice job.

[stevie_vp]

hi guys! thanx alot for all this advice..
I'm glad you all agree the mix is fine.
But i have to agree on the vocals e.
Especially the fact that they dont shine enough and
probably need more compression.
I did use autotune on the vocals but esp. in
the verses its off indeed. funny thing is i didnt really
notice this that much.
The lead track was first or second take because i felled like
finishing it off quick wich never is a good idear ;)

PS: I like the re-master. it really sticks everything together.
And sort of cuts the vocals back in a good way. I only used little
comp and hard limiting with mastering....

Any more advice is welcome! :)

[Ecktronic]

A nice wee tip for using auto tune on vocals is to set the auto tune so it works most of the time and sounds as natural as you can.

Then carefully listen through to the whole song first with main vocals (without backing) then backing on its own then both together.
If any bits sound flat or sharp then pitch shift only that part using your DAW, and remember to cross fade the cuts, as using pitch shift in the middle of a vocal track can cause clicks.

Sorry if I'm not explaining to well. :|

Eck